A-20
Revision as of 03:38, 24 June 2013 | Revision as of 17:10, 28 July 2013 | |||
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* Bleeds some speed in turns. | * Bleeds some speed in turns. | |||
* Receives "scout matchmaking". | * Receives "scout matchmaking". | |||
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* Does not drift | * Does not drift | |||
Revision as of 17:10, 28 July 2013
A-20
Mouse over "
[Client Values; Actual values in
334,000 Cost |
520112 HP Hit Points |
17.53/19.57.61/19.95 t Weight Limit |
- Commander (Loader)
- Radio Operator
- Driver
- Gunner
480500 hp Engine Power |
72/23 km/h Speed Limit |
4446 deg/s Traverse |
27.3865.7 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
NoNo Pivot |
// mm Hull Armor |
25/25/2537/37/25 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
14/800/14
35/800/10 Shell Cost |
47/47/6240/40/50 HP Damage |
51/88/2346/62/19 mm Penetration |
r/m ▲
26.09 r/m Standard Gun ▲
54.35 Rate of Fire Magazine-fed Gun |
▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1226.23 Standard Gun ▲
Magazine-fed Gun
▼
Magazine-fed Gun
▲
204.4 Damage Per Minute Magazine-fed Gun |
m ▲
0.42 m With 50% Crew: 0.52 m ▲
0.45 Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.557 m |
s 1.9 s 2.3 Aim time |
4550 deg/s Turret Traverse |
360° Gun Arc |
-7°/+25°-7°/+27° Elevation Arc |
160210 rounds Ammo Capacity |
1515 % Chance of Fire |
m 350 m 360 View Range |
m 325 m 615 Signal Range |
V
334000
The A-20 is a Soviet tier 5 light tank.
Development of the A-20 tank started at Kharkov Factory No. 138 in December 1937. The project was a further development of the BT-7 tank and became a predecessor of the legendary T-34. Work on the vehicle was led by Mikhail Koshkin. On May 18, 1938, technical characteristics of the tank designated BT-20 were approved. Only a few experimental prototypes, with a wheeled caterpillar suspension, were built for training purposes.
The A-20 is a very fast tank with a high top speed, but suffers from poor maneuverability at high speed. As a "scout" tank, it is expected to face tanks up to Tier 8, which can be very challenging, to say the least.
The A-20 leads to the MT-25.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ()
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
V | V-2 | 480 | 15 | 750 | 18750 | |
VI | V-2-34 | 500 | 15 | 750 | 27860 |
Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ()
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IV | A-20 mod. 1938 | 19.5 | 44 | B/2 | 5000 | 2840 | |
V | A-20 mod. 1940 | 19.95 | 46 | B/2 | 5000 | 7160 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Above average engine power, top speed, and traverse speed.
- Good rate of fire and penetration, with better aim time and dispersion than the T-50
- Above average turret traverse speed and elevation arc.
- Above average ammo capacity.
- Above average signal range.
Cons:
- Below average hit points.
- Thin hull and turret armor.
- Below average view range.
- Sluggish hull traverse at high speeds.
- Bleeds some speed in turns.
Performance
On paper, the A-20 seems to be a perfectly fine Tier 4 light tank. It has a decent gun selection for Tier 4 (although the T-46 receives the same weapons one tier earlier), and it seems to have a very high top speed and good hull traverse. Unfortunately, the A-20 has issues which are not immediately obvious from just looking at the ingame statistics.
The first and biggest issue is that the A-20 receives so-called "scout matchmaking". In the past, before the introduction of dedicated scout tanks like the T-50, the T-50-2, the VK 16.02 Leopard, and the VK 28.01, the A-20 (and its German counterpart, the Pz.Kpfw. 38 (t) n.A.) were the only dedicated scouts in World of Tanks. For reasons still unclear, Wargaming did not rebalance their matchmaking to be more like that of more recent light tanks like the British Covenanter, despite the fact that they all do not lead to dedicated scout light tanks, but into medium tanks. What this means is that the A-20 will see tanks up to Tier 8, where it is expected to scout. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially to new players who have no experience scouting.
This leads to the second issue: the A-20's mobility statistics are a lie. It has a tendency to bleed an incredible amount of speed on turns, and its acceleration and maneuverability are nowhere near as good as the T-50's. Active scouting (running about and dashing from cover to cover, spotting enemy tanks for your team) is very dangerous, and requires a lot of skill and forethought. However, the turning radius and speed are surprisingly tight, much like the BT-7. It also does not drift as often as the T-50
On the other hand, the A-20's view range is disappointingly bad for passive scouting. While the Pz.Kpfw. 38 (t) n.A. at least has an excellent 370 m view range, the A-20 only has a view range of 330 m. There are Tier 8 tanks with view ranges of up to 400 m, and despite the A-20's camouflage bonuses as a light tank, significant investment in the Camouflage skill is required in order to negate this weakness.
Firepower-wise, the A-20 doesn't really have much to complain about. The stock gun, the 45 mm 20K, and the 37 mm ZiS-19, which were previously used on the Tier 2 BT-2 and Tier 3 BT-7, are excellent and mediocre on those tanks, respectively. At Tier 4, they are completely useless, and should be gotten rid of as quickly as possible. There are three viable weapons. The 37 mm Automatic SH-37 is, as the name suggests, a clip-fed autocannon. It is good enough to kill lightly armoured artillery and tank destroyers and light tanks, but little else. The 45 mm VT-42 offers good accuracy, rate-of-fire, and aim time, as well as fairly good penetration (for Tier 4) in exchange for low alpha damage, making it an ideal sniper weapon. The 76 mm L-11 is the complete opposite, with terrible accuracy and aim time, low rate-of-fire, but good alpha damage. It works better at close ranges. It may seem like the A-20's guns are weak, but that is mostly because it gets thrown into Tier 7 and 8 matches. Against Tier 4, 5, and even 6 tanks, the A-20 can still do some damage.
Unsurprisingly, since it is a light tank, the A-20 has no armor to speak of, and despite the good sloping, it should never rely on its armor to save it from enemy fire.
There are no words to mince here; the A-20 can be a very painful grind, especially for a complete beginner to World of Tanks. However, it can be a good opportunity to learn how to scout. If you can scout well in the A-20 and find it to your liking, you should easily be able to adapt to the dedicated scout light tanks.
Early Research
- The 37 mm ZiS-19 and 12LL radio carry over from the BT-7, and should be installed immediately.
- The A-20 bis turret is absolutely necessary for the all-important increase in view range, and is also needed to mount the more advanced guns.
- Depending on playstyle, the 76 mm L-11 or 45 mm VT-42 should be researched next.
- The V-2-34 engine provides a small, but not very significant, increase in horsepower, and is also used on the T-34.
- The 37 mm Automatic SH-37 can be researched next, or may be skipped entirely if there is no intention to use it.
- Finally, the A-20 mod. 1941 suspension should be researched last. It allegedly provides a 2 d/s increase in hull traverse, but practically has no noticeable benefits to the A-20's agility.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
Once it was realized that the BT tanks didn't have sufficient armor or armament, a new design was developed for a fast medium tank. In 1937, the Kharkov factory was ordered to design a new tank, and the design work started in November 1937. The chief designer was Mikhail Koshkin and his deputy, Alexsandr Morozov.
Design features The A-20 had sloping sides and a small angular turret with 25mm of armor. The tracks could be removed and could be run on just the wheels. The chassis itself was based on the BT-7M. The hull had a V-shaped glacis plate and was angled at 60°. The A-20's hull also overhung the tracks with the sides angled at 25°. In 1939, a 76.2 mm gun was installed and the vehicle was designated as the A-30. This was the same gun that was installed in the BT-7. There was an attempt to place a short barrelled 76.2 mm gun in the A-20's turret, but it just didn't work, as the turret ring couldn't absorb the recoil.
Prototype In May 1938, a wooden model of the A-20 was shown to the Defense Council of the Soviet People's Commissars (Soviet Narodnykh Komissarov, or SNAKE). Some didn't like the wheel / tracks feature carried over from the BT series, and Koshkin said it added weight that just wasn't necessary. The design had a 45 mm gun, which Koshkin said should be replaced by a 76.2 mm gun, as it was inadequate. Stalin was at this presentation and ordered that the Kharkov factory build not only a full-size prototype of the A-20, but also make the requested design changes and build a prototype that would be designated the A-30. In August 1938, the High War Council, let by the People's Commissar for Defense, K. J. Voroshilov, discussed the A-20 and T-32. Many on the Council disliked the T-32. In July 1939, the Kharkov Locomotive Factory had completed the prototypes for the A-20 and T-32. They were both then tested and it was decided to go with the T-32. On December 19, 1939, the People's Commissariat for Defense released the T-32 to the Red Army. It was soon designated the T-34.
In 1939, tests were conducted with the T-32 and A-20: the T-32 was selected as it had better fire power and armor.